Because anyone can still learn something important about the craft of play-by-play simply by listening to him, at age 83, call a Dodgers game.

Go back to old-school basics. If you were breaking down his game, what pieces do you pull out and say: This is what a play-by-play person needs to do, not just to be great, but to be competent?

“Broadcasters young and old should listen to him whenever possible,” says the Clippers’ 72-year-old Ralph Lawler. “It’s like taking a graduate course in broadcasting.”

Raise your hand, and we’ll call on you:

Bob Miller, the Kings’ Hall of Famer: “First of all, Vin and other announcers can teach young play-by-play announcers the value of preparation. I think it’s the most important word anyone can hear regardless of their profession. If you don’t take time to prepare, that’s when you start to lose your job.

“(And) let the audience breathe. Let the sounds and atmosphere of the game come through to the listener. This sometimes is almost as important as the play-by-play because the sounds of the ballpark or arena make the listener feel as if he is in the crowd. After an exciting play, stop talking, and let the listener hear the roar of the crowd.”

Chris Roberts, UCLA basketball and football: “Nobody, or anything, is more important than what is happening at present. The score is so important, and he gives it often. The current situation is repeated, too. He is always on top of it. The basics are so important and can never be repeated too much.”

Jim Nantz, CBS lead man on the NFL, college basketball and golf: “When I see kids today hoping to break in, or just getting in the door, everything seems to be about being on camera, being funny, having an irreverent view of the world of sports. They don’t understand it runs a lot deeper. The real nuance is the ability to tell a story, have a command of the language and use it right. Mr. Scully represents to me a generation of what the art of sports broadcasting is all about.”

Ross Porter, former Dodgers play-by-play man: “Be objective and not partisan. The broadcaster may be paid by the team he is covering, and can want that team to win, but should not use the word `we’ in his play-by-play. …

“And he is also there to describe what is happening on the field. He’s not there to report second-hand information. An example was an altercation between Don Sutton and Steve Garvey in the Dodger clubhouse at Shea Stadium in 1978. None of the announcers saw it, so what were they to say?”

Charley Steiner, Dodgers radio: “Find the sport that fits your style. Baseball is at his pace. He may be a beat behind a play, but that’s by design – whether it’s an eighth of a second of a half second or a full second. It’s better to back off a second and be right than be in front of it and be wrong. There’s no safety net in those situations.”

Nick Nickson, Kings radio: “When you’re young and inexperienced, your focus is on the game itself and making sure you cover all the bases regarding the game. After you reach a comfort level, perhaps you start to branch out and add other elements. Strive to accomplish that balance. Listening to Vin gives one a wonderful template to draw from.”

Chris Fisher, USC’s first-year basketball voice: “He has decades of experience and knowledge and I have five years so don’t try to replicate or be something I’m not or else I’m entirely inauthentic. Being a student and letting your passion carry you will help this process move organically and Vin is a tremendous example.”

Mario Impemba, former Angels’ broadcaster now with the Detroit Tigers: “Vin has a deep knowledge of the history of the game that comes from his 60-plus years of broadcasting. That is an advantage for sure, but it doesn’t mean that younger announcers can’t study the history of the game to expand their knowledge.”

Ken Levine, “DodgerTalk” co-host: “Scully never forgets that these athletes are human beings. When a rookie shortstop makes an error, instead of just ripping him, he’ll project what it must be like to be 21 years old, playing in front of 50,000 people, and the pressure he must be under. This can translate to any sport. Approach your broadcast with humanity.”

Jeff Lasky, Lancaster JetHawks: “I’ve had some of my work critiqued by two Triple-A broadcasters in the last few weeks, and both pointed out immediately that they could hear the influence of Vin Scully in my work. It would be impossible to grow up listening to him and not be influenced.

“What I am always amazed by and try to emulate in my own way is how he can engage the listener with his own personality without making the broadcast about him. What I’m still trying to learn from Vin is to make my fundamentals as excellent as possible while maximizing my ability to make a broadcast as enjoyable as possible.

“The challenge is trying to do that without just doing an impression of Vin Scully.”

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.